The TARDIS brings the Doctor, Tegan and Turlough to the sleepy English village of Little Hodcombe in 1984. A re-enactment of the English Civil Wars is underway, and R9undheads and Cavaliers battle for control of the streets. But the villagers' newfound enthusiasm for war games worries the Doctor, who makes a sinister discovery in the local church. What is the [Malus]] and where did it come from? Who is Will Chandler? And why are soldiers from 1643 appearing in the crypt?